Edith Thurman

"Loving Wife, Mother, Grandmother, and Friend" Lake Junaluska- Edith "Edie" Bridges Thurman, 81, of Lake Junaluska, was delivered from the arms of angels into the loving hands of her Lord and Savior on Wednesday, December 9, 2015. Edie was the daughter of the late Vache David Bridges and Mary Gower Bridges. She was the loving wife of James M. Thurman, retired United Methodist Minister and Air Force Chaplain. She was the devoted, caring mother to Jay (who died at age 3), David, Lucy, and Ruth. She and Jim resided at Lake Junaluska for the past 22 years and prior to that spent 30 years serving our nation in the United States Air Force. She was from Columbia, Tennessee. She met her husband Jim at Lake Junaluska the summer of 1953 where both were working as college students at the Terrace Hotel. Both loved the lake very much and after so many years were drawn back to make it their home. Edie and Jim would have celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary on December 18, 2015. Their children thank God daily for Jim and Edie's wonderful role model as a married couple. Left to cherish her memory are her devoted husband Jim, loving children David and wife Kym Thurman of Albuquerque, New Mexico, Lucy and husband Dave Fitzgerald of Covington, Louisiana, and Ruth and husband Scott Sterry, of Lake Junaluska. Jim and Edie have 13 wonderful grandchildren: Baylee, Jay, Maddy, Walker, Molly, Ron, Kiley, Tyler, and Olivia Thurman, Hope and Carter Fitzgerald, and Cathryn and Jacob Sterry. A memorial service to celebrate Edie's life will be conducted at 11:00 a.m. on Monday, December 14, 2015, at the First United Methodist Church of Waynesville with the Reverend Sanford L. Giles, Jr. and Reverend Wilson Strickhausen officiating. The family will receive friends following the service. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that friends and family provide donations to the Alzheimer's Association, P.O. Box 748, Asheville, NC 28802, First United Methodist Church in Waynesville, P.O. Box 838, Waynesville, NC 28786 or to Lake Junaluska Assembly, P.O. Box 67, Lake Junaluska, NC 28745. The family wish to thank all of their friends for their support, with special thanks to the wonderful staff at Autumn Care of Waynesville for their loving care of Edie.

Previous Events